WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Monmouth University Football will begin the 2026 season ranked No. 23 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Preseason Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the STATS Perform FCS Preseason Poll, the organizations announced.

This marks back-to-back season Monmouth lands inside of the top 25 preseason polls. The Hawks are one of just two Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) programs to appear in the national preseason Top 25, joining Rhode Island, which is ranked No. 8 by the AFCA and No. 7 by STATS Perform. Three additional CAA programs are receiving votes in the AFCA coaches poll, while two conference teams are receiving votes in the STATS media poll.

Monmouth is coming off a 9-3 campaign in 2025 that included a 6-2 mark in CAA play. The Hawks finished the season ranked No. 20 in the AFCA poll and No. 22 in the STATS Perform poll, marking the program's first season finishing ranked in both national polls since 2019.

The 2026 season marks the first campaign under head coach Jeff Gallo, who takes over the program after spending 21 seasons on the Monmouth coaching staff. Gallo inherits a Hawks squad that returns a strong group of veterans, including six players who earned Preseason All-CAA recognition. Safety Jaeden Jones was also selected as the CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and enters the season as a STATS Perform Preseason Second Team All-American.

Monmouth opens the 2026 season on Saturday, Aug. 29 for a top-25 clash at No. 15/14 Tennessee Tech at 7 p.m. (EDT). Tickets and additional information for the 2026 Monmouth Football season are available at MonmouthHawks.com/Tickets.

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